LEWISTON — Hospital officials on Tuesday applauded Gov. Paul LePage’s plan to pay them the millions of dollars they’re owed. They said they would use the money to pay off debt, make capital improvements and compensate employees. “We’ve had to dip into a line of credit to pay our bills,” said Chuck Gill, spokesman for […]
MaineCare
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
LePage to announce repayment plan for $186 million owed to hospitals
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage will unveil a plan Tuesday afternoon to pay $186 million the state owes in back payments to hospitals. The governor will release his proposal during an event at the University of New England’s dental school, which is under construction on Stevens Avenue in Portland. Maine’s 39 hospitals are owed $484 […]
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Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Feds allow limited cuts to Medicaid, not to level sought by LePage
AUGUSTA, Maine — The federal government will allow Maine to make limited cuts to its Medicaid program, but not to the extent Gov. Paul LePage ’s administration had sought last yearas it looked to close a $20 million budget hole. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Monday notified state officials that they can cut some low-income […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Two-year cap on methadone treatment for MaineCare patients starts Jan. 1
BANGOR — A new law geared to save taxpayers millions of dollars by placing a 24-month lifetime cap on state funding for MaineCare patients using methadone to treat their opiate addiction goes into effect Jan. 1. The proposed policy rules to implement the law are under review by the Maine attorney general’s office, according to […]
Posted inLocal & State
New Legislature facing plenty of red ink
AUGUSTA — The 126th Legislature, which takes office this week, faces serious financial problems, including addressing funding needs that could reach $200 million in the current budget year that ends June 30. “I think that the new Legislature could see a $150 to $200 million supplemental budget,” said Rep. Patrick Flood, R-Winthrop, the outgoing co-chairman […]
Posted inLetters
P. Burns: Not treated equally
I am a 77-year-old widow and do volunteer work, which I really enjoy. Because of my eyesight, I know the time will come when I will no longer be able to drive. I still want to be able to volunteer, so I called Western Maine Transportation but was told that because I didn’t live on […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
States hunting for Medicaid savings
AUGUSTA — Maine is not alone among the states that have reduced spending for Medicaid programs, a health care spending consultant on Tuesday told a panel that’s looking to add to cuts that already have been imposed. Cuts elsewhere range from eyeglasses and eye exams to hearing aids, dental care, chiropractic services and mental health […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Drug companies, health-care providers primary culprits in MaineCare fraud
There’s the former provider convicted in 1995 of fraudulent billing who’s still paying monthly restitution 17 years later, $200 at a time. His debt to the state is now down to $20,000. Then there’s Dawn Solomon, a Harrison woman who bilked MaineCare out of more than $4 million through her company that provided services for […]
Posted inOur View
Get the facts about federal health and retirement programs — and make up your own mind
The fate of Social Security, MaineCare, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act rests on the election come November, so believes the National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare. This committee, which is a coalition that includes the Maine League of Young Voters, AARP Maine and the Maine Alliance of Retired Americans, presented a forum […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
DHHS ready to notify Medicaid recipients of lost benefits
AUGUSTA — The Department of Health and Human Services is preparing to notify some Mainers who are expected to lose their health insurance coverage under Medicaid soon. Come Oct. 1, thousands of Mainers are slated to lose benefits under MaineCare, the state’s Medicaid program, through controversial cuts aimed at balancing the budget that have fiercely […]